Chrysler 3.2L/3.6L Camshaft Sensor Codes Possible Cause 

I enjoy the break down and explanations of the systems you encounter. I have a Chrysler with the 3.6 so I listen...and do regular oil changes. Thanks Dave.

It's amazing how the technology operates. You were great at explaining in detail. How to remove Repair and install.

Sir...just acquired a PT Cruiser and began binge watching your videos. Then I realized your shop is about one mile from where I work in Augusta GA on Wrightsboro Road. Unbelievable. THANK YOU for these videos, I will be coming to see you to have my car serviced soon. Happy easter to you!

Thanks Dave. These engines are available in pretty much all vehicles across the lineup. Thanks for the information!

Remarkably clear, Bubba. You've mastered this type of situation.

Excellent educational video! This rate camshaft phaser problem may not occur on my 3.6L Pentastar but it’s certainly great information to know. Keep on doing great videos 👍

Really good detailed explanation of the problem and the related concerns. Thank you. My 2012 Chrsyler 200 Limited 3.6 is throwing P0340, P0345, P0365, P0394 codes. 125K, I'm tired of spending chasing the solution. Time to move on...

This guy is the master of pentastar engine

I’m so glad that mechanic explained it to us. And I’ll remember that just in case.

Thanks for the it tips on this engine because I’m running in this issue right now.

Thank you much, for 11 months now my car has been going into limp mode going up long hills, kept getting camshaft intermittent code P0365, replaced both am position sensors, the crank sensor and all four cam actuators and still happens, I am definitely going to check this out!

THANK YOU SOMETHING TO LEARN I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY ENGINE

I plan on keeping my pentastar for as long as I can I already have rockers an liters just waiting.. I only have 103 thousand miles I already changed my oil filter adapter. I learned from your channel..thanks for this new info on oil control and phasers...

Great video and explanation most videos do not show you the failure points just replacement. Have you ever tried a socket like the one used to replace a heater element in a electric hot water heater its like a tubing thats been pressed into square socket ends they tend to be thinner then a thin walled socket and usually have a hole in them to insert a small bar or screw driver to turn them it may fit in the actuator hole. The wall size on what I have range between 1 and 2 millimeter.

What an amazing piece of technology these cam phasers are. What's also amazing is how Chrysler pretty much got them right but ford got them so wrong

David, thanks AGAIN for your instructive videos on the 3.6L VVT engine. I am watching everything you put out on that engine - mine is in a 2013 Charger SXT and has 194,000 km on it. No evidence of any problem yet, but I'm listening and watching.

Good job David. Keep up the good work

Thanks for the vid/info. Being a 2015 jk owner and having had to replace the rollers and lifters on bothe sides (did it my self thanks to your videos) I will keep this in mind if I start to hear any funny noises.

Thank you David. That's was an exceptional video!! 👍👍💯💥

Thanks for the heads up! I have the 3.6L in my 2014 Challenger.

Just replaced 3 cams, all rockers and lifters. Car sounds great. About 3RPM it goes into limp mode with p3040. I REALLY dont want to remove valve covers again but I feel like I need to do this check. Thanks for the vid!

Good to see you still at it!

A guy that knows what he talking about. Ill watch more.

Great Info, Thanks! I've had it once on a 3.6L with 240K miles on it. Here that means it's getting a used engine. I can't believe your customers approve such repairs on an engine with so many miles!

I been waiting for another video, Hope all is well, keep on it :)

I just did the complete rocker/lifter swap and the rt side intake cam following your instruction. I am a competent mechanic of over 30 yrs. so your instructions were easy to follow and my time was well spent watching them. Thank you. My problem is the jeep will not fire off now. R2 the cam sensors, the crank sensor, the Inlet air temp sensor, and ck all thge engine and body grounds. I didnt do anything diffent on the disassembly and had no left over parts. Would a bad phaser keep it from firing? I am leaning towad the notches on the back of the cam are not sending the signal to the tpm. I bought the cam on amazon so that ones on me. any info on any more troubleshooting before i tear it all down agaito ck cam and phasers on the rt side would be appreciated.

This man is awesome... very helpful information 👌

Wait!! I think you still can remove the solenoid to check it. It looks like there is enough room to make two paint marks, one on the oil control valve and one just on the phaser body and use a bore scope or good camera to monitor if the paint marks stay aligned or move while cranking the engine over in clear flood mode or something. I have a van with over 200k and thought about long term issues but working in a shop I see several other customers over 200k and have only come across this issue once when the customer ran out of oil due to the oil cooler and had metal shaving in the oil. The customer declined repairs so I never got the chance to take the engine apart. It was also very sludged up which only seems to happen when oil changes are way too extended as they don't tend to sludge easily. Great video and something to look out for.

Another great video, thanks David. Was the debris from dirty oil, cheap oil filters?

Good to see a first gen still running after 200k. Great breakdown of the problem David, always appreciate the videos.

David, as a DIYer I'm following my late Dad's advice to change oil fairly often in my '12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible precisely because of what could go wrong with any of the cam phasers. My Pentastar engine has 70,872 miles on it and I use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30 oil exclusively. I am also considering replacing the oil cooler/oil filter housing with the aluminum housing Dorman kit to prevent oil-leaking problems in the future. This car is my retirement ride and I like it a lot.

You are darn good bud..I enjoy your videos..Very informative..no glitz ,& glamor...I like it..& thnx

I changed rockers on one bank last weekend. I’m getting rough running and codes now. Bought a scan tool to do a cam/crank relearn. Will see how that goes. Thanks for the explanation of how the phasers work and how to test them. My engine has 140,000 miles. 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan. I did not change the cam. Only one rocker was bad and cam wear on the lobe looked minor.

Great video .thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Great job David!

Good to know! Thank you for the share!

Fantastically good video as always! In fact, my latest video is a shoutout to your channel, simply because it’s the best for rocker, cooler, and oil pump repair guides! Couple of points: As you know, we only do Promasters and most are commercial. I’ve found that the limit is between 550 and 600k miles. Assuming you address the rockers and oil cooler and dont overheat it, it’ll run fine till the rings start getting worn enough to merit a new engine. Will still run fine after 600k, but power and mpg will start to suffer. And when I replace engines, I buy 100k used ones for $2000, do the AH rockers before I put them in, and they go to 550k. Basically, the pentastar doesnt care about miles! Second point: We’ve never fought with P0340, but twice now I’ve fought and failed on P0016 and P0017. I’m guessing a failed phaser wouldnt code the same way, but it might. Let me paint a picture: dealer had custys van for close to 2 years! Chasing P0016. Replaced EVERYTHING including the PCM, ran dedicated wires to the CPS, multiple cams and phasers. Finally talked the custy into throwing a Jasper at it! Didnt fix it. Star case opened. Engineers visited. Dealer threw a SECOND Jasper at it. Still coded. Dealer kicked custy out with no resolution. Came to me. I dicked with it a while, verified everything. Failed. Sold the customer a midlevel scanner that would reset the code, and spent a proper amount of time reassuring them that it was liveable, and how to reset, and monitor pids to make them feel ok about. They are still driving it - it’s fine. That job was, to me, a complete fail regardless of the happy ending. We saw another P0016 where a quickie oil change place had double filled the crankcase, which frothed the oil. That custy got a new motor out of it. Anyway, I’d like to know if you think it’s possible that the computer could code in both ways for the same phaser problem. Occurs to me it could, depending on if the pin was stuck locked, or stuck unlocked. But I’m unsure. Thoughts?

David, thank you for the excellent detailed videos. One question: You showed how to fully inspect the cam phaser but didn't point out how to test the oil control valve. What can one look for when inspecting the OCV?

Awesone video David - thank you.

Great video David.

Great content keep up the good work, amazing insight. Quick question i have a 2015 ram promaster diesel. I keep getting a lightning bolt on dashboard and the van slows down and wont go over 45mph is this an electrical issue with ecm or sensor?

Thank you for this great tutorial!!

You're so full of knowledge 👍!!

Great to see these very informative videos again great job 👍

You can use a Articulating Borescope with Light if you have the valve cover off to look down inside the timing chain and see whats going on without removing the side cover if you are good with one to find any problems. With the motor sideways it is a royal pain to remove things if you don't have to.

Thank you so much. I just replaced the exhaust cam on bank 1 and immediately got 340, 365, & 369. I’m definitely going to test for this before removing the cam again. I have already replaced the sensor and tested the wiring. It has to be this or the cam, right?

new to your channel great info added to my favorites thanks

@Motorcitymechanic - Excellent video, thank you for your insight! I recently replaced all of my cam followers and lash adjusters on our 2012 Jeep wrangler at 140k miles as we had one that was just starting to fail. Ran great for 3000 miles, but am now getting P0340. P0365, P018 and P019 codes all at the same time. Extended crank and momentary shudder sometimes after the engine fires up. These are opposite banks, so possibly 2 unrelated issues - or are they? Any insight on if these are related, and which bank to start diagnosing first?

Great video great information, thanks!!

Appreciate the tips. You think the engineers think about that whole. I got 80K and the cam is reporting 111’ out . Not happy

Big bro never give up noh matter what

Great video. Any idea what the debris was or where it came from?

Great explanation

Hi dav…i am wondering what’s was causing the locking pin not in gaged..but when I watched your video many times I think the problem with (spring)was weak not making pressure to in gaged…thanks…

Is there any way to bypass/upgrade those phasors and disable the timing advance? You know like to old days, it would just be less efficient at idol correct?

That was great info, thanks.

When you use the tools to decompress the chain tensioner on left side is it common that you don't have to use the pick tool again? I was able to just slide the wedge between guide and end of cam shaft and the tensioner went back in with out using the pick n pull tool in the little hole. I understand it's like a hydraulic tensioner so I'm hoping that when I'm able to start engine the oil will pressurize the tensioner back to normal?? I hope this makes sense the way I described it and that I'm all set. Thank you

Have you experienced a transmission speed sensor go bad w/o throwing a code? My 13 Grand Cherokee has a harsh low speed shift or this surging or hesitation at low speed. No codes. Tried to fix this by getting trans service with relearn. Also had fluid changes to the diffs and transfer case. The trans service showed no material and performs fantastic otherwise. Usually occurred more after cold start.

Thanks Great Video, So I have to ask, if it was just a piece of debris holding the locking pin why was there a need to replace the unit, why not just clean and reuse?

My 3.6 is throwing all of those eight codes. Is it possible I have a bad PCM without having PCM codes? Or could it be electrical or timing chain issues? Love watching the videos!

Thanks Great information!

You should also check the oil gallery plug/bolt as it work it way loose causing low oil pressure to the phaser, common issues found on the pentastar motors. Meticulous job you do though 👍👍

Hmm, I am here for that very same problem. 2011 Charger police car, 3.6, Right exhaust phaser is unlocked, p0340 code. Was rattling on startup. I was going to do that vvt sprocket, plus replace the bad rockers and ground cam. BUT the phaser took out the right side timing chain guides. Front cover off to do those. Its a budget job so, just surgically replacing parts unfortunately.

Looks like you could still check it with a pair of needle nose pliers; or possibly make a special tool to fit in there.

What about the side with the spring on the back should that be able to move line that also?

MCM, is there a small amount of backlash between the camshaft and the phaser? if you put the wrench on the Cam, will it move a hair independent of the phaser? Thanks!

12:53 You can use a low-profile oil filter socket and it will fit through the hole left by the VVT actuator. I just did the rocker arms on my 2012 Caravan using your tutorial and used the same socket on the right cylinder head. There wasn't enough room to remove the OCV with a standard 36mm socket due to the AC lines.

2015 JKU Rubicon 208000 maintained by myself, OCD about oil changes etc.. never had any issues other than the usual suspects alt, steering pump etc. Recently towed a u haul (probably too much weight) cross country and now Im swimming in codes... P0340 - P0365 - P0018 - P0019 Ive replaced both camshaft sensors and the crankshaft sensor is about a year old.... thoughts?

What scan tool is the best bang for the buck for Chrysler vehicles ?

Hi there Great videos thank you I have p0014/17/18 codes on a grand caravan 2013 ( pentastar 3.6l motor ) Electrical or mechanical? Thanks for responding to anyone for suggestions

I have a 2013 JKU that throws the P394 camshaft position sensor B circuit intermittent if I go over 80 mph and maintain it for a little bit. Could this be caused by the same issue?

Use a plumber's socket. Super thin walled socket. Maybe it would fit.

Since there was a particle in the lock pin keeping it from locking why didn't you just remove the particle and reinstall the same phaser?

David go a question i have a 2012 Charger Rt . Brought the car with a knocking engine that still ran. When loading it on the trailer for tow. It's hard to put into gear from park with the knocking engine running . What could it be ?

What debris did you find in there? Was it metal, plastic, or oil filter material? Can we get more details? Does the oil that enter, is it after filter oil or before filter?

I would like to know what the debris was in the spring bore and how it got there? Thanks for the great instructional video.

I'm getting P000B #07E8 camshaft b position slow response bank 1. Could this code pertain to this all as well? New engine, just installed, was getting the same code with the old engine.

What if you followed the timing chain procedure perfectly. Also replaced all rockers and lifters. But when you go to start. It only turns over and no start? Only thing I haven't done is a compression test. But have spark and fuel.

I need help with my 2013 wk2. Bucks at low speed tip in of throttle. No check engine lights. Did a relearn on trans. Replaced fluids Don’t know where to go with it.

Question Engine swap 2022 to 2016 is this plug and play installation

Does this apply to the 2017 3.6 as well? I have a Pacifica throwing a P0365.

Do you know if there is an issue like this where there is a star case if that is something they will cover if a car is out of warranty? My daughters 2019 Jeep Cherokee 3.2 V6 4wd threw a P0340 code and isnt running. I know the sensor is pretty cheap, but I believe its located on her model in a hard to get to location

I see that your socket doesn't fit through the solenoid hole, do you know what the ID of the hole in the valve cover is? I have an idea for a special socket.

Hey Mr. David, I have a 2014 Ram 3.6 with code P-0344, the thing is it happens as soon as the truck warms up? Could this be only the camshaft position sensor?? Or am I looking at possibly more??

Hi I have a 2012 dodge charger with 135k miles..about to do a oil change but I like to add some Lucas Oil treatment, how much should I add?

Also don't forget to check for loose/missing oil galley bolts in the end of the head, right under the sprockets.

Are there any torque specs for reassembly?

Hello sir. Dodge 3.5 and 3.6 if the engine belt and chain break or the engine will be completely damaged???? I have heard that the valves break

Thoughts on a p0017 pentastar not starting?

Question and I apologize if I missed the answer in the video. If the pin was stuck from debris, couldn't it just be cleaned out and reinstalled rather than replaced? I have 2 vehicles with 3.6l and your videos have been lifesavers (rocker arms on one, oil pump on the other). Best quality tutorials I've come across. Thanks David!

THANKS MASTER

I’ve had this problem for the last 3 years, it started at 300,000 miles and now I have 465,000 it only happens once a month and when it does it goes into limp mode once I restart the truck it will come out of limp mode and the check engine light goes off after 3 or 4 cycles. Codes are p0390 p0394

Hey I change one camshaft , everything looks all right But I get p0345 and p0390 All sensors new even de chain

Your good !

Good info

Please help! Have cam code after installing a Baxter oil filter adapter. The adapter leaked so had to put the cartridge style filter back in however this is after cutting the bypass valve off to fit the adapter. Drove the jeep about 30 miles with it like that (I’m assuming not filtering the oil) and that’s when the codes started. My mechanic has had the vehicle for 3 weeks now and can’t figure it out. 3.6.

Can you please help me I have 2015 3.6 jeep checking spark only 3 2 4 6 spark every time but 1 and 5 spark only one time why

Help I’m new to the Channel I have a 3.6 pentastar an have a cold star noise looks to be coming from the intake fazer changed the silinoied

Quick question, are you in Augusta, Ga?

Great info viper.